Independence Day, known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States celebrating adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Just over 150 years ago – July 1-3, 1863 – the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War was fought at Gettysburg, Pa. It is estimated that in that three day period, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the opposing Union Army of the Potomac suffered over 43,000 combined casualties.PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICA TODAY US Bishops prayer for USA

Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty

O God our Creator,from your provident hand we have receivedour right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.You have called us as your people and given usthe right and the duty to worship you, the only true God,and your Son, Jesus Christ.Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospelto every corner of society.

We ask you to bless usin our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.Give us the strength of mind and heartto readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;give us courage in making our voices heardon behalf of the rights of your Churchand the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughtersgathered in your Churchin this decisive hour in the history of our nation,so that, with every trial withstoodand every danger overcome—for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,and all who come after us—this great land will always be "one nation, under God,indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Beppe Fiorello, Kasia Smutniak, Ettore Bassi

Vatican Radio REPORT: We are sons of God thanks to Jesus: no one can take away this “identity card.” That was Pope Francis’ message during Mass on Thursday at the Casa Santa Marta.

The Pope’s homily centred on the Gospel of the healing of a paralytic. In the beginning of the day’s Gospel, Jesus says to him: “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” Perhaps, the Pope Francis said, this person remained “unsettled” because he wanted to be physically healed. Then, faced with the criticism of the scribes – who among themselves had accused him of blasphemy, “because only God can forgive sins” – Jesus healed his physical condition. In reality, the Pope explained, the healings, the teaching, the strong words against hypocrisy were “only a sign, a sign of something more that Jesus was doing,” namely, the forgiveness of sins: In Jesus the world is reconciled with God. This is “the most profound miracle”:

“This reconciliation is the re-creation of the world: this is the most profound mission of Jesus. The redemption of all of us sinners; and Jesus does this not with words, not with gestures, not walking along the street. No! He does it with His flesh! It is He Himself, God who became one of us, a human, to heal us from within, [He came] to us sinners.”

Jesus frees us from sin by making Himself “sin,” taking upon Himself “all the sin” and this, the Pope said, “is the new creation.” Jesus “comes down from glory, humbles Himself, even unto death, death on the Cross,” even to the point of crying out: “Father, why have you abandoned me?” This “is His glory, and this is our salvation”:

“This is the greatest miracle. And what does Jesus accomplish with this? He make us children, with the liberty of children. Because of what Jesus has done, we can say ‘Father.’ [If He had not done so] we would never have been able to say this: ‘Father!’ And to say ‘Father’ with so good and so beautiful an attitude, with liberty! This is the great miracle of Jesus. We, who were slaves of sin – He has made us all free, He has healed us at the very core of our existence. We would do well to think about this, and to think how beautiful it is to be children, and how beautiful this ‘liberty of children’ is, because the child is in the house, and Jesus has opened the doors of the house to us . . . Now we are in the house!”

Now, the Pope concluded, we can understand when Jesus said “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven”:

That is the root of our courage: I am free, I am a child . . . The Father loves me, and I love the Father! Let us ask the Lord for the grace to truly understand this work of His, what God has done in Him: God has reconciled the world to Himself in Christ, entrusting to us the word of reconciliation and the grace of bearing this word of reconciliation onward, forcefully, with the liberty of children. We are saved in Jesus Christ! And no one can take from us this ‘identity card.’ This is how I identify myself: as a child of God! What a beautiful identity! Civil status: we are free! Amen.

Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo, the Archbishop of Ranchi in India, concelebrated Mass with the Holy Father.

Shared from Radio Vaticana

THE HOLY FATHER RECEIVES IN AUDIENCE THE ITALIAN PRIME MINISTERVatican City, 4 July 2013 (VIS) – This morning in the Vatican Apostolic Palace the Holy Father received in audience Enrico Letta, president of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Italy. They subsequently went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. who was accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.A communique from the Holy See Press Office states that during the cordial discussions, attention was given to social issues and the particular difficulties faced by citizens and institutions in Italy and in the European Union, especially in relation to the adoption of measures creating and protecting employment, in particular for the young. Mention was made of the important contribution that Italian families and Church institutions continue to make towards the stability of the State.The focus then shifted to matters relating to international politics, with concern expressed at the evolution of the civil and institutional context in countries in the Mediterranean area and the Middle East. Finally, both parties also expressed their desire to continue constructive dialogue on themes of mutual interest for the progress of the Italian State and the benefit of the international community.

HOLY SEE AND VATICAN CITY STATE GOVERNORATE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS: PROFITS FOR 2012Vatican City, 4 July 2013 (VIS) - On Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 July, a meeting was held of the Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organisational and Economic Problems of the Holy See, presided over by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. Particularly noteworthy was the visit on Wednesday 3 by the Holy Father Francesco, who addressed the speakers and engaged in a brief dialogue, reiterating the aims and purpose of the Council and inviting the continuation of periodical meetings.Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, presented before the Council first the report on the consolidated financial statement of the Holy See for the year 2012 and subsequently that of the Governorate of Vatican City State.The consolidated financial statement for the Holy See for the year 2012 closes with a profit of € 2,185,622, due mainly to good performance in financial management.The most significant categories of expenditure are those regarding the cost of personnel,(2,823 persons), means of social communication considered in their entirety, and the new property taxes (IMU) which resulted in an increase in expenditure of € 5,000,000 compared to the previous year's figures.The administration of the Governorate is autonomous, and independent of contributions from the Holy See. Through its various offices, it supervises requirements related to the administration of the State. The 2012 financial statement closes with a profit of € 23,079,800. The Governorate employs a total of 1,936 persons.Peter’s Pence, the contributions offered by the faithful in support of the Holy Father’s charity, passed from USD 69,711,722.76 in 2011, to USD 65,922,637.08. Contributions made pursuant to canon 1271 of the Code of Canon Law - i.e., the economic support offered by ecclesiastical circumscriptions throughout the world to maintain the service the Roman Curia offers the universal Church - passed from USD 32,128,675.08 in 2011 to USD 28,303,239.28 in 2012, a reduction of 11.91%.Further contributions to the Holy See on the part of the Institutes of Consecrated Life, Societies of Apostolic Life and Foundations passed from USD 1,194,217.78, in 2011, to USD 1,133,466.91, with a reduction of 5.09%. In total, therefore, there has been a decrement of 7.45% compared to the total in US dollars recorded in 2011.The Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), as it does each year, offered the Holy Father a significant sum in support of his apostolic and charitable ministry. For 2012 this was a sum of € 50,000,000.The Cardinal Fathers reflected on the data presented in the financial statements, acknowledged the positive results attained, and encouraged the reform necessary to reduce costs through the simplification and rationalisation of existent bodies, as well as more careful planning of the activities of all administrations. The Members of the Council expressed their deep gratitude for the support given, often anonymously, to the Holy Father’s universal ministry in spite of moments of economic crisis, and encouraged the continuation of this good work.

FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE AUTHORITY MEMBER OF EGMONT GROUPVatican City, 4 July 2013 (VIS) – The Holy See Press Office has today issued a communique stating that the Egmont Group, a global network of Financial Intelligence Units, has admitted the Financial Intelligence Authority of the Holy See and Vatican City State (AIF) as a full member at its 21st Group Plenary in Sun City, South Africa.“Membership of the Egmont Group grants access to a global network of FIUs and facilitates the exchange of information in the fight against financial crime. For the Holy See and Vatican City State, this marks a further step in its contribution to this global effort.“'The admission of AIF to the Egmont Group represents a recognition of the Holy See and Vatican City State's systematic efforts in tracking and fighting money laundering and financing of terrorism', said Rene Brulhart, director of AIF. 'Our admission to this global network will further improve our ability to contribute to the fight against financial crime'.“The Egmont Group was founded in 1995 and currently consists of more than 130 national FIUs. It provides a forum for FIUs around the world to exchange information and coordinate the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism”.

AUDIENCESVatican City, 4 July 2013 (VIS) - This morning, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:- Ignazio Roberto Maria Marino, mayor of Rome.- Giovanni Alemanno, former mayor of Rome.- Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.This afternoon, he is scheduled to receive:- Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTSVatican City, 4 July 2013 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father:- appointed Bishop Jose Rafael Quiros Quiros as metropolitan archbishop of San Jose di Costa Rica (area 2.208, population 1,971,384, Catholics 1,383,912, priests 343, permanent deacons 3, religious 703), Costa Rica. Archbishop Quiros Quiros, previously bishop of Limon, Costa Rica, was born in Llano Grande, Costa Rica in 1955, was ordained to the priesthood in 1981, and received episcopal ordination in 2006. He succeeds Archbishop Hugo Barrantes Urena, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

Independence Day, known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States celebrating adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Just over 150 years ago – July 1-3, 1863 – the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War was fought at Gettysburg, Pa. It is estimated that in that three day period, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the opposing Union Army of the Potomac suffered over 43,000 combined casualties.PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICA TODAY US Bishops prayer for USA

Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty

O God our Creator,from your provident hand we have receivedour right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.You have called us as your people and given usthe right and the duty to worship you, the only true God,and your Son, Jesus Christ.Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospelto every corner of society.

We ask you to bless usin our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.Give us the strength of mind and heartto readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;give us courage in making our voices heardon behalf of the rights of your Churchand the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughtersgathered in your Churchin this decisive hour in the history of our nation,so that, with every trial withstoodand every danger overcome—for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,and all who come after us—this great land will always be "one nation, under God,indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

ASIA NEWS REPORT

EGYPTThe dream comes true, Egypt is free from a hateful regimeby André AzzamThe country has been waiting with patience and hope for the day when the Muslim Brotherhood would be forced to step aside. Now, armed with a great social diversity that is also a great wealth, we can hope for a new and better nation. Starting from the young people, the "true pyramids" of modern Egypt. It is the end of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Cairo (AsiaNews) Amazing, amazing the huge crowds gathered all night long and more and more today in all squares in all towns of Egypt. Something never before seen in Egypt or anywhere else in the world.Tens of millions of people gathered all over the country along one thousand kilometers on the Nile Valley and united by a strong will to build up the future of a dismantled state, a destroyed economy, a collapsed country.During one whole year, the religious extremist regime of Mohammad Morsi succeeded in dividing the people, ruining the economy and failing to achieve anything positive except this amazing and successful result: bringing all the diverse elements of a manifold population united by a strong hope for the future, a firm desire to liberate the country from the autocratic and fascist regime dominated by the so-called Muslim Brotherhood.All the day long the whole population was out in the streets and the squares to wait for the end of a long nightmare, expecting the SCAF (Supreme Council of the Armed Forces) communiqué after the deadline of the ultimatum given to Morsi and his tribe, as every one used to call his movement these last months.In fact, Morsi revealed himself to care only for his tribe and not for the whole Egyptian people. Hence he lost the support of many people who did chose him at the presidential élections last year. He lost as well any credibility constantly and increasingly all along last months, since he reacted wrongly at all occasion, losing every opportunity to assemble the population or to gain respect. Even in his last speech yesterday, he was not able to match with the events and he did not get his last chance to save the situation.Over the past few days, the Egyptian population lived constantly in the streets and the squares with an incredible increasing number. As if the whole population was gathering to celebrate a sacral union in a kind of huge festival, repeating slogans and chanting songs, waiting for the final release.The deadline of the SCAF happened at 16:30 pm. But everybody was waiting patiently and full of hope. In Cairo, the crowds were in the emblematic Tahrir square, as well as in front of the presidential palace in Héliopolis, in front of Qoubba palace, and also in front of the Presidential Guard premises next to Héliopolis, where Morsi was reported to have taken refuge.Elsewhere in Cairo Morsi supporters were gathered, mainly in front of Rab'a al 'Adaweyya mosque in Madinat Nasr, and around Cairo University, where they shot many young people dead last night. Their numbers were completely out of proportion with the millions gathered elsewhere.During the day, troops from the armed forces surrounded Rab'a al 'Adaweyya and Cairo University areas preventing any possible clash with the rest of the population. Huge crowds were seen in all the Egyptian towns: Alexandria, Mansourah, Tantah, Menoufeyya, Suez, Assiut, Sohag, etc.Every where people were waiting for history to start, a new era for Egypt.Finally, came the SCAF statement, that was broadcasted openly and assembled the General Abderrahmane al-Sissi, head of the armed forces with all the SCAF members representing the different the different components of the armed forces, along with Chaykh Ahmad al Tayyib, great imam of Al Azhar, Pope Tawadraus, head of the Coptic Church, Mohammad al Baradeï, president of al Destour (constitution) party and spokesman of the Salvation front, and also the main promoter of Tamarrod (rebellion) movement, plus Sakina al Sadate, sister of late Anwar al Sadate and very active on the political and communication fields. There was also a long bearded man, probably representing the salafist movement, who was part of the Morsi front in former days.The communiqué was certainly very well prepared by all the former personalities quoted, every single word strongly chosen, with precision and sobriety. General al Sissi announced one by one the 13th items of the communique as following: Freezing the Constitution; giving the interim presidency to the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court; the interim president will be able to make constitutional announcements and decisions; organization of presidential elections; nomination of a government composed of national leaderships ;composition of a Commission to review and adjust the entire Constitution; organization of Parliamentary elections; elaboration of a Code of Conduct for the media and communication sector; taking executive steps in order to involve more and more Young people in the decision making of the state; constituting a high commission for national reconciliation among all currents; permanent support of the armed forces to the Egyptian people; warning: constant cooperation between the armed forces and the police to preserve peace; expression of gratitude, respect and appreciation to the armed forces, the police, and the judiciary.After General al Sissi, the following personalities addressed the nation: Al Azhar Chaykh, Pope Tawadraus, Mohammad al Baradei, the Tamarrod leader, Sakina al Sadate, in a scenery never before seen in Egypt, since probably the time of Saad Zaghloul in the 1919 revolution, when the famous slogan was born: ''Religion for God and Nation for all''.Very soon after this historical momentum, the crowds and the millions exploded in a huge shout of joy and happiness. Huge bursts of laughter and happiness were heard for hours all over the country. Proving that the population was not only united by the same expectations and hopes, but also with the same momentum of satisfaction and gratefulness.Immediately the three main Islamistic TV channels: ''25'', ''al Nur'', ''al Hafez'' stopped broadcasting, probably prevented, in order to avoid any calls to provoke reactions to Morsi's ouster. The late president, in a communiqué on al Jazira channel, rejected the SCAF decision and called on his supporters to resist to what he termed a military coup.All over the country positive reactions hailed the ''genius'' of Egyptian people, the genius of creating history and civilization, their genius in cultivating the earth and creating art and culture. A constantly heard reaction was the following one: Egyptians created the pyramids long ago, our present pyramid is made of our youth, rich in their capacity to reinvent history and an open future for Egypt.In general, the observers and political analysts have agreed that this was the end of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, born in this land in 1928 and dying here in 2013... For many analysts, this is also marking an end to the idea of any religious government in the Middle East.Everybody was foreseeing some five to ten years of difficulties to get rid of the religious autocracy. And everybody is happily surprised that the period was reduced to only one year to get rid of the hatred of the religious regime.Now the hope is for the future. In every corner, people are expressing hope, expectations, and eagerness to rebuild the country on solid basis including all elements of the nation as was seen during the official communiqué with the diversity of presenters.The first goal is obviously the internal rebuilding of the state and the country, with the reinforcement of the economic status. Then the new leadership will have to settle relations with the outside world, namely with the United States and Europe, who failed to support to the Egyptian population.Either way, the amazing Egypt and the amazing Egyptian people are certain of a brighter future, confident of their own energy and their own strengths. SHARED FROM ASIA NEWS

Video Added Later

Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary TimeLectionary: 380

Reading 1 GN 22:1B-19

God put Abraham to the test.He called to him, “Abraham!”“Here I am,” he replied.Then God said: “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,and go to the land of Moriah.There you shall offer him up as a burnt offeringon a height that I will point out to you.”Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey,took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well,and with the wood that he had cut for the burnt offering,set out for the place of which God had told him.

On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar.Then he said to his servants: “Both of you stay here with the donkey,while the boy and I go on over yonder.We will worship and then come back to you.”Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the burnt offeringand laid it on his son Isaac’s shoulders,while he himself carried the fire and the knife.As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham:“Father!” he said.“Yes, son,” he replied.Isaac continued, “Here are the fire and the wood,but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”“Son,” Abraham answered,“God himself will provide the sheep for the burnt offering.”Then the two continued going forward.

When they came to the place of which God had told him,Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.Next he tied up his son Isaac,and put him on top of the wood on the altar.Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven,“Abraham, Abraham!”“Here I am,” he answered.“Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger.“Do not do the least thing to him.I know now how devoted you are to God,since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”As Abraham looked about,he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.So he went and took the ramand offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh;hence people now say, “On the mountain the LORD will see.”Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:“I swear by myself, declares the LORD,that because you acted as you didin not withholding from me your beloved son,I will bless you abundantlyand make your descendants as countlessas the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;your descendants shall take possessionof the gates of their enemies,and in your descendants all the nations of the earthshall find blessing—all this because you obeyed my command.”

Abraham then returned to his servants,and they set out together for Beer-sheba,where Abraham made his home.

Responsorial Psalm PS 115:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R. (9) I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.or:R. Alleluia.Not to us, O LORD, not to usbut to your name give glorybecause of your kindness, because of your truth.Why should the pagans say,“Where is their God?”R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.or:R. Alleluia.Our God is in heaven;whatever he wills, he does.Their idols are silver and gold,the handiwork of men.R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.or:R. Alleluia.They have mouths but speak not;they have eyes but see not;They have ears but hear not;they have noses but smell not.R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.or:R. Alleluia.Their makers shall be like them,everyone who trusts in them.The house of Israel trusts in the LORD;he is their help and their shield.R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.or:R. Alleluia.

Gospel MT 9:1-8

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,“Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,“This man is blaspheming.”Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,“Why do you harbor evil thoughts?Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?But that you may know that the Son of Manhas authority on earth to forgive sins”–he then said to the paralytic,“Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”He rose and went home.When the crowds saw this they were struck with aweand glorified God who had given such authority to men.

WITH the shared heritage and philosophy of the Sisters of Charity, St Columba’s College students continue to provide assistance for Sister Francesca Healy Cottage, also affectionately known as The Cottage.

The Cottage is a supportive environment where people experiencing homelessness can prepare for medical treatment or recover from illness. It is the only facility of its kind in Australia.

St Columba’s students recently presented The Cottage with hampers of tea, coffee, milo and biscuits as well as socks and beanies, in order to alleviate the struggle of those less fortunate than themselves.

A lot of thought went into creating and sourcing the goods for the hampers, with St Columba’s Cunningham House Leader, Joan Dillon OAM saying the girls aimed to collect goods that would be of use to the people who seek assistance from The Cottage throughout the year.

“Our latest batch of hampers includes the kinds of simple essentials you’d have in your basic kitchen,” Joan said.

“They’ll be really handy for patients who might be moving on from The Cottage and into a new home, but don’t necessarily have the means to get the basics we take for granted.”

In recent years, St Columba’s students have also raised enough money to help purchase a water tank for The Cottage garden and buy wool which St Columba’s staffs were able to knit into 200 beanies for The Cottage patients.

Byron Lazarides, manager of The Cottage, said that demonstrating to the St Columba’s girls what The Cottage provides really got the students thinking about the social and health issues that surround homelessness.

“You can see this philosophy is being passed down to the students and they’re responding in a really practical way that makes a difference to others,” Byron said.

“We can’t thank Joan and the girls enough for their interest and ongoing support.”

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati is a saint for the modern world, and especially for the young people of our time. Born in 1901 in Turin, Italy, his time on earth was short-only 24 years-but he filled it passionately with holy living. Pier Giorgio was a model of virtue, a "man of the beatitudes," as Pope John Paul II called him at the saint's beatification ceremony in Rome on May 20, 1990. He was described by friends as "an explosion of joy." As Pier Giorgio's sister, Luciana, says of her brother in her biography of him, "He represented the finest in Christian youth: pure, happy, enthusiastic about everything that is good and beautiful."

To our modern world which is often burdened by cynicism and angst, Pier Giorgio's life offers a brilliant contrast, a life rich in meaning, purpose, and peace derived from faith in God. From the earliest age, and despite two unreligious parents who misunderstood and disapproved of his piety and intense interest in Catholicism, Pier Giorgio placed Christ first in all that he did. These parental misunderstandings, which were very painful to him, persisted until the day of his sudden death of polio. However, he bore this treatment patiently, silently, and with great love.

Pier Giorgio prayed daily, offering, among other prayers, a daily rosary on his knees by his bedside. Often his agnostic father would find him asleep in this position. "He gave his whole self, both in prayer and in action, in service to Christ," Luciana Frassati writes. After Pier Giorgio began to attend Jesuit school as a boy, he received a rare permission in those days to take communion daily. "Sometimes he passed whole nights in Eucharistic adoration." For Pier Giorgio, Christ was the answer. Therefore, all of his action was oriented toward Christ and began first in contemplation of Him. With this interest in the balance of contemplation and action, it is no wonder why Pier Giorgio was drawn in 1922 at the age of 21 to the Fraternities of St. Dominic. In becoming a tertiary, Pier Giorgio chose the name "Girolamo" (Jerome) after his personal hero, Girolamo Savonarola, the fiery Dominican preacher and reformer during the Renaissance in Florence. Pier Giorgio once wrote to a friend, "I am a fervent admirer of this friar (Savonarola), who died as a saint at the stake."

Pier Giorgio was handsome, vibrant, and natural. These attractive characteristics drew people to him. He had many good friends and he shared his faith with them with ease and openness. He engaged himself in many different apostolates. Pier Giorgio also loved sports. He was an avid outdoorsman and loved hiking, riding horses, skiing, and mountain climbing. He was never one to pass on playing a practical joke, either. He relished laughter and good humor.

As Luciana points out, "Catholic social teaching could never remain simply a theory with [Pier Giorgio]." He set his faith concretely into action through spirited political activism during the Fascist period in World War I Italy. He lived his faith, too, through discipline with his school work, which was a tremendous cross for him as he was a poor student. Most notably, however, Pier Giorgio (like the Dominican St. Martin de Porres) lived his faith through his constant, humble, mostly hidden service to the poorest of Turin. Although Pier Giorgio grew up in a privileged environment, he never lorded over anyone the wealth and prestige of his family. Instead, he lived simply and gave away food, money, or anything that anyone asked of him. It is suspected that he contracted from the very people to whom he was ministering in the slums the polio that would kill him.

Even as Pier Giorgio lay dying, his final week of rapid physical deterioration was an exercise in heroic virtue. His attention was turned outward toward the needs of others and he never drew attention to his anguish, especially since his own grandmother was dying at the same time he was. Pier Giorgio's heart was surrendered completely to God's will for him. His last concern was for the poor. On the eve of his death, with a paralyzed hand, he scribbled a message to a friend, reminding the friend not to forget the injections for Converso, a poor man Pier Giorgio had been assisting.

When news of Pier Giorgio's death on July 4, 1925 reached the neighborhood and city, the Frassati parents, who had no idea about the generous self-donation of their young son, were astonished by the sight of thousands of people crowded outside their mansion on the day of their son's funeral Mass and burial. The poor, the lonely, and those who had been touched by Pier Giorgio's love and faithful example had come to pay homage to this luminous model of Christian living.

Pier Giorgio's mortal remains were found incorrupt in 1981 and were transferred from the family tomb in the cemetery of Pollone to the Cathedral of Turin.

Queen (sometimes known as the PEACEMAKER); born in 1271; died in 1336. She was named after her great-aunt, the great Elizabeth of Hungary, but is known in Portuguese history by the Spanish form of that name, Isabel. The daughter of Pedro III, King of Aragon, and Constantia, grandchild of Emperor Frederick II, she was educated very piously, and led a life of strict regularity and self-denial from her childhood: she said the full Divine Office daily, fasted and did other penances, and gave up amusement. Elizabeth was married very early to Diniz (Denis), King of Portugal, a poet, and known as Re Lavrador, or the working king , from his hard work in is country s service. His morals, however, were extremely bad, and the court to which his young wife was brought consequently most corrupt. Nevertheless, Elizabeth quietly pursued the regular religious practices of her maidenhood, whilst doing her best to win her husband s affections by gentleness and extraordinary forbearance. She was devoted to the poor and sick, and gave every moment she could spare to helping them, even pressing her court ladies into their service. Naturally, such a life was a reproach to many around her, and caused ill will in some quarters. A popular story is told of how her husband s jealousy was roused by an evil-speaking page; of how he condemned the queen s supposed guilty accomplice to a cruel death; and was finally convinced of her innocence by the strange accidental substitution of her accuser for the intended victim.

Diniz does not appear to have reformed in morals till late in life, when we are told that the saint won him to repentance by her prayers and unfailing sweetness. They had two children, a daughter Constantia and a son Affonso. The latter so greatly resented the favours shown to the king s illegitimate sons that he rebelled, and in 1323 war was declared between him and his father. St. Elizabeth, however, rode in person between the opposing armies, and so reconciled her husband and son. Diniz died in 1325, his son succeeding him as Affonso IV. St. Elizabeth then retired to a convent of Poor Clares which she had founded at Coimbra, where she took the Franciscan Tertiary habit, wishing to devote the rest of her life to the poor and sick in obscurity. But she was called forth to act once more as peacemaker. In 1336 Affonso IV marched his troops against the King of Castile, to whom he had married his daughter Maria, and who had neglected and ill-treated her. In spite of age and weakness, the holy queen dowager insisted on hurrying to Estremoz, where the two kings’ armies were drawn up. She again stopped the fighting and caused terms of peace to be arranged. But the exertion brought on her final illness; and as soon as her mission was fulfilled she died of a fever, full of heavenly joy, and exhorting her son to the love of holiness and peace. St. Elizabeth was buried at Coimbra, and miracles followed her death. She was canonized by Urban VIII in 1625